So far, I haven't dedicated a separate article to the free MoliPlayer (AppStore links: iPhone; iPad), it was THAT bad. With the latest upgrade promising a lot of enhancements, I've re-tested it and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, this player now delivers!(the latest version's “What's new”. (The new iPad-specific version has an identical changelog.))

- The H.264 MKV's are played back much better: I noticed no stuttering (as opposed to the previous versions) in the 720p (Harry Potter) test file and both 1080p MKV files (Monsters and Kung-fu intro) showed - apart from the major lipsynch problem making the Monsters video absolutely unwatchable – for a software decoder at least, VERY fluent decoding.

- The FZ150 1080i/p60 MTS tests (see my camera MTS article) have also shown orders of magnitude better performance than with previous versions. The 60p video was played back at around half a framerate (or even less) but this is still much better than previously. The 60i playback is fast but introduces a lot of artefacts, clearly placing the player behind the best of the competition, but is still usable if you don't need the best quality.

- WMV playback-wise (please see my past WMV bible for more info), the new player is orders of magnitude better than the previous versions. It's as fast as the best titles. However, it, as opposed to the best titles in the category, “cheats”: uses low-depth colors; therefore, you'll still want to prefer GoodPlayer, ProPlayer / AVPlayerHD or It's Playing to it.

- The TS MPEG2 problems (4:3 aspect ratio for all kinds of content, which in no way can't be forced to other ratios like 16:9 or 2.35:1 etc.) haven't been fixed. There is still no way to display embedded subtitles or change audio tracks in TS files either.

The vastly enhanced engine, the iPad 3 Retina compatibility, the hardware playback support etc. makes this player one of the best free players, particularly on non-jailbroken (read: no access to the free and excellent XBMC / RushPlayer+) devices. Recommended, unless you plan to play back formats not really supported by the app (e.g., MPEG2 TS). If you MUST stick with something free and, for some reason (for example, you need to play back MOV / MP4 / M4V files), can't use QQPlayer(HD), the, for most recommended (see THIS) non-jailbroken player for non-MOV / MP4 / M4V playback and you don't want to play back TS files, this definitely should be a title you give a try to.

<p>Werner Ruotsalainen is an iOS and Java programming lecturer who is well-versed in programming, hacking, operating systems, and programming languages. Werner tries to generate unique articles on subjects not widely discussed. Some of his articles are highly technical and are intended for other programmers and coders.</p>
<p>Werner also is interested in photography and videography. He is a frequent contributor to not only mobile and computing publications, but also photo and video forums. He loves swimming, skiing, going to the gym, and using his iPads. English is one of several languages he speaks.</p>